Table 3.
Study characteristics (left columns) and the individual studies’ results (right columns). For each of the studies included, the methodological aspects, participants’ characteristics and key results are displayed.
| Study information | Population | Assessments | Outcomes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First author, year | Citation number | Study design, no of study arms | Main inclusion criterion LBP (time, other) | N (Total, per grop) (SE, C, C2…)) | Age Mean ± SD (years) | Sex (f/m) | Baseline-pain (Scale, mean, SD if not stated otherwise) | Measurement time points total (N: weeks (if not, stated otherwise) after Baseline) | Primary outcome pain, scale, Co-hens d, (M0-M1) | Primary outcome disability name, Cohens d,, (M0-M1) |
| Alp, 2014 | 56 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
CLBP ≥ 24 weeks |
48, 24, 24 |
25–64, 48, 51 |
48/0 |
VAS (0–10), 6, range 4–9 6, range 1–10 |
2: 0; 12 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 0.8 Imputed from Saragiotto et al.2 |
RMDQ SE: 0.59 Imputed from Saragiotto et al.2 |
| Alrwaily, 2019 | 28 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
CLBP ≥ 12 weeks, NPRS ≥ 3 MODQ score ≥ 20% |
30 15, 15 |
38.3 ± 11.3, 33.4 ± 9.0 |
19/11 11/4 8/7 |
4.4 ± 1.8 4.2 ± 1.9 |
2: 0; 6 |
NPRS (0–10) SE: 1.29 |
MODQ SE: 1.76 |
| Andrusaitis, 2011 | 60 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
nonspecific, CLBP |
10, 5, 5 |
Range: 30–55 |
10/0 5/0 5/0 |
VAS (0–10), 4.83, range 4.3–5.5, 5.08, range 0.5–7.7 |
2: 0; 7 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 1.60 |
ODI SE: 1.68 |
| Arampatzis, 2017 | 29 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
40, 20, 20 |
31.9 ± 6.0, 31.4 ± 5.5 |
N.A |
VAS (0–10), 3.96 ± 1.41, 4.22 ± 1.66 |
2: 0; 13 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 0.60 |
N.A |
| Areeudomwong, 2019 | 30 |
RCT, 3 SE Ctrl 1 Ctrl 2 |
CLBP ≥ 12 weeks |
45 15 15 15 |
24.08 ± 1.00 24.00 ± 8.47 24.36 ± 9.97 |
34/11 11/4 12/3 11/4 |
4.40 ± 1.40 4.13 ± 0.92 4.07 ± 1.28 |
3: 0; 4; 12 |
NRS (0–10) SE: 2.61 |
Functional disability SE: 1.44 |
| Bae, 2018 | 31 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
36, 18, 18 |
32.7 ± 6.1, 32.4 ± 11.0 |
18/20 |
VAS (0–10), 2.9 ± 0.8, 3.0 ± 1.3 |
4: 0; 4; 8; 16 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 1.0 |
ODI SE: 0.19 |
| Bauer, 2019 | 22 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 4 weeks NRS ≥ 3 |
83 42 41 |
45.7 ± 7.8 46.7 ± 7.7 |
83/0 |
34.0 ± 21.0 28.0 ± 21.1 |
3: 0; 24; 48 |
VAS (0–100) SE: 0.42 |
N.A |
| Brooks, 2012 | 32 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
64, 32, 32 |
36.2 ± 8.2, 36.3 ± 6.3 |
40/24 |
VAS (0–10) 3.6 ± 2.1, 4.5 ± 2.5 |
2: 0; 8 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 0.58 |
ODI SE: 1.08 |
| Chung, 2018 | 61 |
RCT, 2 SE I SE II |
CLBP |
27, 14, 13 |
32.47 ± 7.89, 34.18 ± 6.59 |
17/10 |
VAS (0–10) 6.63 ± 1.21, 6.55 ± 1.09 |
2: 0; 6 |
VAS (0–10) SE I: 4.35 SE II: 2.95 |
Korean Version of ODI SE I: 3.22 SE II: 1.95 |
| Critchley, 2007 | 33 |
RCT, 3 SE Ctrl 1 Ctrl 2 |
CLBP ≥ 12 weeks |
212 72 71 69 |
44 ± 13 45 ± 12 44 ± 12 |
133/89 |
NRS (0–100), mean, 95%CI 67, 61–73 60, 54–66 59, 52–65 |
4: 0; 24; 48; 72 |
NRS (0–100) SE: 1.08 |
RMDQ SE: 0.23 |
| da Luz, 2019 | 62 |
RCT, 3 SE Ctrl 1 Ctrl 2 |
CLBP VAS ≥ 4 |
30 10 10 10 |
26.40 ± 3.41 25.50 ± 5.28 27.10 ± 4.95 |
30/0 |
6.4 ± 0.8 6.6 ± 1.1 6.8 ± 0.4 |
3: 0; 4; 24 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 5.12 |
ODI SE: 2.02 |
| Demirel, 2019 | 34 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
CLBP ≥ 12 weeks |
77 37 40 |
45.59 ± 12.32 44.25 ± 8.71 |
62/15 29/8 33/7 |
2.62 ± 2.23 2.92 ± 2.65 |
2: 0; 6 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 0.39 |
ODI SE: 0.75 |
| Ferreira, 2007 | 35 |
RCT, 3 SE Ctrl. 1 Ctrl. 2 |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
240, 80, 80, 80 |
51.9 ± 15.3, 54.8 ± 15.3, 54.0 ± 14.4 |
165/75 |
VAS (0–10), 6.3 ± 2.0, 6.5 ± 2.1, 6.2 ± 2.0 |
4: 0; 8, 24; 48 |
VAS (0–10) 0.92 |
RMDQ SE: 1.15 |
| Franca, 2012 | 36 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
30, 15, 15 |
42.1 ± 8.2, 41.5 ± 4.4 |
N.A |
VAS (0–10), 5.94 ± 1.56, 6.35 ± 1.51 |
2: 0; 6 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 3.77 |
ODI SE: 3.83 |
| Ghorbanpour, 2018 | 57 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 24 weeks |
30, 15, 15 |
23.8 ± 3.5, 20.9 ± 1.2 |
16/14 |
VAS (0–10), 29.5 ± 4.8, 28.3 ± 6.5 |
2: 0; 6 |
VAS (0–100) SE: 0.94 |
Persian version of the Quebec Low Back Pain Disability Scale Questionnaire SE: 0.33 |
| Hosseinifar, 2013 | 37 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
30, 15, 15 |
40.1 ± 10.8, 36.6 ± 8.2 |
N.A |
VAS (0–100), 4.33 ± 1.58, 4.40 ± 1.95 |
2: 0; 6 |
VAS (0–100) d = 1.77 |
FRI questionnaire d = 1.45 |
| Hwang, 2013 | 71 |
RCT, 3 SE Ctrl. 1 Ctrl. 2 |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
21, 7, 7, 7 |
45.7 ± 8.5, 44.8 ± 7.9, 45.8 ± 9.2, |
10/11 |
VAS (0–10), N.A., 5.83 ± 0.38, 5.71 ± 0.61 |
2: 0; 4 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 3.32 |
ODI SE: 1.18 |
| Ibrahim, 2018 | 38 |
RCT, 3 SE Ctrl 1 Ctrl 2 |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
30 10 10 10 |
48.5 ± 14.9 50.3 ± 9.09 49.9 ± 8.82 |
6/25 3/7 1/9 2/8 |
6.00 ± 1.41 6.00 ± 1.41 6.80 ± 1.31 |
2: 0; 6 |
NPRS (0–10) SE: 2.13 |
ODI SE: 0.97 |
| Inani, 2013 | 63 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
diagnosed with non-specific LBP |
30, 15, 15 |
27.8 ± 7.3, 32.9 ± 64 |
10/20 |
VAS (0–10), 6.3 ± 1.8, 7.0 ± 1.6 |
2: 0; 12 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 2.72 |
Modified ODI SE: 2.28 |
| Khodadad, 2019 | 39 |
RCT, 3 SE Ctrl 1 Ctrl 2 |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
52 17 17 18 |
42.2 ± 3.78 44.3 ± 1.43 44.4 ± 2.17 |
6.2 ± 1.48 5.5 ± 1.03 5.6 ± 1.45 |
2: 0; 8 |
NRS (0–10) SE: 1.89 |
N.A | |
| Kim, 2018 | 40 |
RCT, 2 SE I SE II |
LBP > 12 weeks |
30 15 15 |
N.A 22.31 ± 1.6 22.92 ± 1.55 |
30/0 15/0 15/0 |
N.A | 2: 8 | N.A |
ODI SE I: 1.47 SE II: 1.64 |
| Kim, 2019 | 41 |
RCT, 2 Ctrl SE |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
48 24 24 |
N.A 26.0 ± 3.82 28.79 ± 9.05 |
7/15 15/11 |
NRS (0–10) 4.70 ± 1.04 4.73 ± 0.82 |
4: 4, 8, 24 |
NRS (0–10) SE: 3.22 |
ODI SE: 0.32 |
| Ko, 2018 | 64 |
RCT, 3 SE Ctrl. 1 Ctrl. 2 |
CLBP |
29, 10, 10, 9 |
43.1 ± 3.7, 43.6 ± 4.5, 41.3 ± 3.8 |
N.A |
NRS (0–10), 5.5 ± 1.3, 5.3 ± 1.3, 5.2 ± 2.1 |
2: 0; 12 |
NRS (0–10) SE: 1.15 |
N.A |
| Kofotolis, 2016 | 42 |
RCT, 3 SE Ctrl. 1 Ctrl. 2 |
CLBP ≥ 12 weeks |
101, 28, 37, 36 |
42.71 ± 6.1, 41.22 ± 8.49, 39.11 ± 8.68 |
101/0 37 36 28 |
SF-36 (bodily pain), 36.93 ± 15.52, 38.51 ± 12.62, 39.42 ± 14.49 |
5: 0; 4; 8; 12; 20 |
SF-36 pain (0–100) SE: 1.9 |
RMDQ SE: 0.75 |
| Lee, 2014 | 65 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
CLBP |
40, 20, 20 |
34.20 ± 0.69, 34.75 ± 0.85 |
N.A |
VAS (0–10), 7.85 ± 1.00, 7.95 ± 1.00 |
3: 0; 2, 4, 6 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 5.75 |
N.A |
| Lee, 2011 | 25 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 8 weeks |
32, 13, 19 |
26–63, 50.4 ± 9.1, 46.6 ± 9.1 |
15/17 | N.A | 2: 0; 4 |
Million pain interference visual analogue scale MVAS (0–100 mm; 15 items) SE: 0.78 |
N.A |
| Letafatkar, 2017 | 66 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
chronic non-specific LBP; scores > 4 in RMDQ |
53, 27, 26 |
N.A., 36.86 ± 7.16, 38.25 ± 6.19 |
N.A |
VAS (0–10), 6.90 ± 1.87, 5.91 ± 1.31 |
2: 0; 5 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 2.9 Imputed from graph |
RMDQ: SE: 2.3 Imputed from graph |
| Liu, 2019 | 43 |
RCT, 3 Ctrl SE Ctrl |
LBP > 12 weeks |
43 15 15 13 |
N.A 58.13 ± 5.38 58.4 ± 5.08 60.67 ± 2.58 |
35/8 12/3 12/3 11/2 |
VAS (0–10) 5.67 ± 0.81 5.67 ± 0.72 5.85 ± 0.89 |
2,:12 |
VAS (0–19) SE: 1.92 |
N.A |
| Lomond, 2015 | 58 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP > 24 weeks; ODI ≥ 19% |
33, 12, 21 |
43.1 ± 11.9, 41.6 ± 10.9 |
15%male 6%male |
NRS (0–10), 2.8 ± 1.6, 3.6 ± 1.6 |
2: 0; 7 |
NRS 0–100 SE: 1.1 |
ODI SE: 0.9 |
| Macedo, 2012 | 44 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
CLBP ≥ 12 weeks |
158, 76, 82 |
48.7 ± 13.7, 49.6 ± 16.3 |
57/19 45/37 |
NRS (0–10), 6.1 ± 2.1, 6.1 ± 1.9 |
4: 0; 8, 24; 48 |
NRS (0–10) SE: 1.05 |
RMDQ: SE: 0.81 |
| Marshall, 2013 | 45 |
RCT,2 SE Ctrl |
Ongoing recurrent LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
64, 32, 32 |
18–50, 36.2 ± 8.2, 36.2 ± 6.2 |
40/24 |
VAS (0–10), 3.6 ± 2.1, 4.5 ± 2.5 |
3: 0; 8; 24 |
VAS 0–10, SE: 0.9 |
ODI: SE: 0.93 |
| Miller, 2013 | 24 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 7 weeks |
29, 15, 14 |
19–87, 54 ± 15, 44 ± 16 |
14/15 |
VAS (0–10), 4.1 ± 2.0, 3.0 ± 2.0 |
2: 0; 6 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 0.5 |
N.A |
| Moon, 2013 | 46 |
RCT, 2 SE I SE II |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
21, 11, 10 |
28.6 ± 4.9, 28.4 ± 5 |
7/14 |
VAS (0–100), 34.2 ± 17.1, 33.5 ± 18.4 |
2: 0; 8 |
VAS (0–100), SE: 0.78, SE II: 0.93 |
ODQ, SE: 0.84 SE II: 2.1 |
| Noormohammadpour, 2018 | 47 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
CLBP ≥ 12 weeks |
20, 10, 10 |
18–55, 43.3 ± 7.5, 41.0 ± 6.4 |
20/0 |
VAS (0–100), 38.4 ± 21.7, 36.2 ± 27.2 |
N.A |
VAS (0–100), SE: 1.6 |
RMDQ, SE: 2.0 |
| Rabin, 2014 | 67 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
CLBP |
105, 48, 57 |
Range: 18–60 |
25/23, 31/26 |
NRS (0–10), 4,9 ± 1.7, 5.3 ± 1.7 |
2: 0; 8 |
NRS (0–10) SE: 1.5 |
MODI (0–100) SE: 2.0 |
| Rasmussen-Barr, 2003 | 23 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 6 weeks |
42, 22, 20 |
39 ± 12, 37 ± 10 |
17/7 18/5 |
VAS (0–100), 33, 32 |
4: 0; 6; 12; 24 |
VAS (0–100) SE: 0.95 Imputed from Saragiotto et al.2 |
ODI SE: 1.18 Imputed from Saragiotto et al.2 |
| Rasmussen-Barr, 2009 | 26 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 8 weeks |
71, 36, 35 |
36 ± 10, 40 ± 12 |
18/18, 18/17 |
VAS (0–100), 32, range 18–59, 38, range 10–47 |
5: 0; 8; 12; 24; 144 |
VAS (0–100) SE: 0.99 Imputed from Saragiotto et al.2 |
Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire (OSD), n SE: 1.11 Imputed from Saragiotto et al.2 |
| Rhee, 2012 | 68 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP |
42, 21, 21 |
53.09 ± 9.04, 50.90 ± 5.24 |
11/10, 10/11 |
Million Visual VAS (0–100), 42.7 ± 13.8 32.8 ± 10.9 |
2: 0; 4 |
MVAS (0–100) SE: 0.66 |
ODI SE: 1.14 |
| Salamat, 2017 | 48 |
RCT, 2 SE I SE II |
extension related non-specific CLBP ≥ 12 weeks |
24, 12, 12 |
35.83 ± 9.31, 36.09 ± 9.6 |
N.A |
VAS (0–10), 5.16 ± 1.74, 5.9 ± 1.9 |
2: 0; 4 |
NRS (0–10) SE I: 1.3 SE II; 1,8 |
ODI SE I: 0.66 SE II: 0.76 |
| Seo, 2019 | 49 |
RCT, 2 Ctrl SE |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
26 13 13 |
22.62 ± 1.58 22.31 ± 1.60 22.92 ± 1.55 |
15/11 7/6 8/5 |
N.A: | 2: 4 | N.A |
ODI SE: 0.86 |
| Shamsi, 2017 | 50 |
RCT, 2 SE I SE II |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks, VAS 3–6 |
51, 27, 24 |
38.9 ± 12.2, 47.0 ± 9.9 |
33/18, |
VAS (0–100), 52.4 ± 9.2, 53.0 ± 9.2 |
2: 0; 6 |
VAS (0–100), SE I: 4.0 SE II: 3.1 |
ODI SE I: 1.3 SE II: 1.1 |
| Shaughnessy, 2004 | 51 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
41, 20, 21 |
43 ± 9, 46 ± 11 |
27/14, 14/6, 13/8 |
Sf-36 (bodily pain), 31 ± 12, 32 ± 13 |
2: 0; 10 |
Sf-36 (bodily pain), SE: 0.9 |
ODI SE: 0.85 |
| Soundararajan, 2016 | 59 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
2-year history Of CLBP |
30, 15, 15 |
26.87 ± 2.17, 27.1 ± 2.09 |
12/18, 6/9, 6/9 |
VAS (0–10), 6.27 ± 0.70, 6.6 ± 0.74 |
2: 0; 6 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 5.06 |
MODQ SE: 3.3 |
| Sung, 2013 | 27 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
Recurrent LBP ≥ 8 weeks |
50, 25, 25 |
Range 27–63, 47.7 ± 8.9, 53.1 ± 9.1 |
20/30 10/15, 10/15 |
N.A | 2: 0; 4 | N.A |
ODI SE: 0.26 |
| Ulger, 2017 | 52 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
113, 57, 56 |
Range 20–73, 41.6 ± 12.9, 43.1 ± 14.3 |
67/46, 35/22, 32/24 |
VAS (0–10), 6.69 ± 1.6, 3.0 ± 2.43 |
2: 0; 6 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 2.3 |
ODI SE: 1.2 |
| Unsgaard-Tondel, 2010 | 53 |
RCT, 3 SE Ctrl 1 Ctrl 2 |
CLPB ≥ 12 weeks |
109, 36, 36, 37 |
Range 19–60, 40.9 ± 11.5, 43.4 ± 10.2, 36.0 ± 10.3 |
76/33 29/7 23/13 24/13 |
NRS (0–10), 3.31 ± 1.42, 3.61 ± 1.75, 3.30 ± 1.74 |
3: 0; 8; 48 |
NRS (0–10) SE: 0.37 |
ODI SE: 0.28 |
| Vikranth, 2015 | 69 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
mechanical low back pain VAS < 5 |
30, 15, 15 |
Range 30–45, 37.0 ± 2.76, 37.1 ± 3.51 |
11/19 5/10, 6/9 |
VAS (0–10), 3.8 ± 0.83, 3.73 ± 1.06 |
2: 0; 2 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 0.5 |
ODI SE: 0.9 |
| Waseem, 2018 | 54 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
108, 53, 55 |
Range 20–60, 46.39 ± 7.43, 45.5 ± 6.61 |
37/71, 18/35, 19/36 |
N.A | 4: 0; 2; 4; 6 | N.A |
ODI SE: 1.8 |
| Woo, 2016 | 55 |
RCT, 2 SE I SE II |
LBP ≥ 12 weeks |
30, 15, 15 |
N.A., 39.8, 40.1 |
N.A | N.A | 2: 0; 4 | N.A |
ODI, SE I: 1.85 SE II: 2.37 |
| Young, 2015 | 70 |
RCT, 2 SE Ctrl |
CBP |
48, 24, 24 |
N.A | N.A |
VAS (0–10), 4.3 ± 1.26, 4.0 ± 1.38 |
2: 0; 6 |
VAS (0–10) SE: 0.43 |
N.A |
Legend: RCT, randomized controlled trial; T, total, E, exercise, SE, stabilisation exercise, Ctrl, control or comparison group; CLBP, chronic low back pain; N, number; f, female; m, male; SD, standard deviation; Mx, measurement visit number, VAS, visual analogue scale; NRS, numeric rating scale; NPRS, numeric pain rating scale; ODI, owestry disability index, RMDQ, Roland Morris disability questionnaire